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Building officials in Saskatchewan must hold a valid licence before a local authority can appoint them. Class 1, 2, and 3 Building Official Licences are available from Building and Fire Safety. The qualifications are set out in The Building and Accessibility Standards Administration Regulations and summarized in the brochure "Building Official Licences" provided bu Building Standards. A person must obtain a Class 1 licence before being eligible for a Class 2 licence, and a Class 2 licence before a Class 3.
A person who enforces the UBAS Act, the National Building Code of Canada, and the building bylaw for a local authority must be appointed. Since May 16, 1997, only licensed building officials may be appointed. (Building officials who were appointed before May 16, 1997 were not required to be licensed.) Building officials can be an employee of the local authority or can provide services under a contract. The local authority must issue a certificate of appointment to each appointed building official.
Building officials are licensed in three primary classes. Licensees are restricted to providing services within the scope of their licence.

Class 1 - Authorized to provide enforcement services for one- and two-unit dwellings only.
Class 2 - Authorized to provide enforcement services for small buildings occupied by residential, mercantile, business and personal services, and medium or low hazard industrial occupancies (any building under the scope of Part 9 of the National Building Code of Canada), as well as those covered by Class 1.
Class 3 - Authorized to provide enforcement services for any type or size of building (any building under the scope of the National Building Code of Canada), including those covered by Class 1 and Class 2.

Two secondary classes of licences, Restricted and Temporary, entitle the licensee to take only those actions stipulated in the licence.

A person who wishes to obtain a Class 1 building official licence must:

apply in writing on the licence application form,
provide evidence of employment for at least 2 years full-time (or equivalent) in a building inspection or building construction-related occupation,
provide evidence of at least one of the following:

holding a diploma of technology in architecture, engineering or related program
holding a journeyperson certificate in a building construction-related designated trade
being an engineer or eligible for registration
being an architect or eligible for registration
having a minimum of 5 years' experience as an appointed building inspector prior to May 16, 1997
having completed the Building Code Training for Canadians-Series I course, and

pass the appropriate examination.

If an application is denied or if more information is required, Building and Fire Safety will contact the applicant. Once an application is approved, Building and Fire Safety will request payment of the appropriate fee. The annual licence fee for all licences is $25, or $75 for five-year Class 1, Class 2, or Class 3 licences.
A person must hold a valid Class 1 licence and pass the appropriate examination to qualify for a Class 2 licence.
A person must hold a valid Class 2 licence and pass the appropriate examination to qualify for a Class 3 licence.
Building official examinations are based on the contents of the UBAS Act and regulations and the applicable sections of the National Building Code of Canada. Examinations are administered by the Southeast Regional College, but can be written at any of the approved writing centres. Information about each of the examinations is shown in the Reference Syllabus. Candidates for a building official examination must apply in writing to the College on the exam application form provided by the College. To contact the Southeast Regional College, please see "Education & Training" page.

Saskatchewan adopts the National Building Code of Canada (NBC as the basis for Saskatchewan's building and accessibility standards.

There are three pieces of provincial legislation that adopt and amend the NBC and describe the application of building standards, accessibility standards, reaponsibilities of owners, local authorities and building officials. These are:

        The Uniform Building and Accessibility Standards Act

        The Uniform Building and Accessibility Standards Regulations

         The Building and Accessibility Standards Administration regulations

Also included are the Saskatchewan ammendments to the National Building Code. These are found at the end of The Uniform Building and Accessibility Standards Regulations.

For more information please follow the link below to the Saskatchewan Building Standards Unit: